Three new traditions for use in Shadowrun. They come from the game I'm a part of. Several of the players handed me the source material and said “I want that”, and our GM was okay with the ideas.
Tell me what you think, are they balanced and would you allow them in your game? Bonus points if you can name the source for each.
Full Version: Three new traditions
Gaerneduir (Mages of the Sea of eternity)
They believe that all living things are part of a universal consciousness. Which is made up of the memories, emotions, and knowledge of all who have lived.
Magic offers a glimpse into this consciousness. This enlightenment is the true path of the mage.
Other traditions have grasped some small portion of the truth, and by assembling these pieces of the puzzle, steps are taken towards enlightenment.
Spirit type: Manifestation
Combat: Beast
Detection: Guidance
Health: Plant
Illusion: Guardian
Manipulation: Task
Drain: Willpower + Intuition
A relatively small tradition, said to have started by mages in Tir Taringire who claimed their information came from fourth age. Most scholars dismissed them as deluded. But the fact remains that for them, it works.
Given its dubious origins as a “fragment of the fourth age” there was little beyond the basic paradigm. So they have taken to distilling all other systems for the core “truth” of each system. It makes them highly eclectic, but with a focus on the spiritual nature of magic. This means that their system is a hodgepodge of styles and trappings drawn from it's numerous parents.
What is known about the core of their tradition, and the foundation everything is built on is this; The FaerSir, the river of souls is sum total of all life on the planet, but an insignificant portion of the FaerSirion, or universal consciousness.
Portions of it are used to create new life, and when that life dies it brings with it the emotions, memories and knowledge obtained during life.
While all life exists as part of this cycle, only sapient creatures retain any cohesion after death. It is even said to act as an afterlife of sorts for the sapient inhabitant of the world while they wait to be reborn.
They even believe that when planets die their accumulated spiritual energies are transferred into a larger collective, the FaerSirion.
Spirits are the souls of the life they bear the shape of given form.
They believe that all living things are part of a universal consciousness. Which is made up of the memories, emotions, and knowledge of all who have lived.
Magic offers a glimpse into this consciousness. This enlightenment is the true path of the mage.
Other traditions have grasped some small portion of the truth, and by assembling these pieces of the puzzle, steps are taken towards enlightenment.
Spirit type: Manifestation
Combat: Beast
Detection: Guidance
Health: Plant
Illusion: Guardian
Manipulation: Task
Drain: Willpower + Intuition
A relatively small tradition, said to have started by mages in Tir Taringire who claimed their information came from fourth age. Most scholars dismissed them as deluded. But the fact remains that for them, it works.
Given its dubious origins as a “fragment of the fourth age” there was little beyond the basic paradigm. So they have taken to distilling all other systems for the core “truth” of each system. It makes them highly eclectic, but with a focus on the spiritual nature of magic. This means that their system is a hodgepodge of styles and trappings drawn from it's numerous parents.
What is known about the core of their tradition, and the foundation everything is built on is this; The FaerSir, the river of souls is sum total of all life on the planet, but an insignificant portion of the FaerSirion, or universal consciousness.
Portions of it are used to create new life, and when that life dies it brings with it the emotions, memories and knowledge obtained during life.
While all life exists as part of this cycle, only sapient creatures retain any cohesion after death. It is even said to act as an afterlife of sorts for the sapient inhabitant of the world while they wait to be reborn.
They even believe that when planets die their accumulated spiritual energies are transferred into a larger collective, the FaerSirion.
Spirits are the souls of the life they bear the shape of given form.
Tower Mages (Weavers)
Magic is simply the weaving together the threads of mana to get the required effect.
Spirit type: Manifestation
Combat: Fire
Detection: Water
Health: Plant
Illusion: Air
Manipulation: Earth
Drain: Willpower + Logic
Weavers believe that mana is simply raw chaos filtered and given structure by it's entrance into the physical world.
When the wind of choas first blows into the physical realm it is a tangled mass. But over time the strands separate into their pure form. It is these strands that the mage weaves together to create their spells.
Each of the eight threads has it's own domain.
Caran, ruby. Hot passions and burning flames mark this color. It twists emotion and passions. A mastery of fire in all it's form also marks the use of these threads.
Elu, sapphire. Knowledge of the unknowable, they are masters of divination and fate.
Baran, topaz. The solid practicality of earth. It lends itself to those artisans and enchanter's tasks.
Malen, amber. It is a primitive force that drives away reason, leading those to embrace the realm of the beasts.
Calen, jade. The magic of nature is covered in Calen. It is life itself, all that lives and breathes depend on its subtle waxing and waning force.
Silivren, diamond. The bright light banishing the impure and twisted forces of chaos. It is the most difficult thread to master.
Dae, amethyst. Of the sacred and the spirits.
Thind, obsidian. Misdirection and illusion, and the death that strikes from nowhere. Often called the assassin wind.
As far as their libraries go, they tend towards massive tomes like a hermetic. Most still resist transferring to digital mediums, preferring the purity of the written word.
There view on spirits is that they are living beings called from the ethereal planes to do the bidding of the summoner.
Magic is simply the weaving together the threads of mana to get the required effect.
Spirit type: Manifestation
Combat: Fire
Detection: Water
Health: Plant
Illusion: Air
Manipulation: Earth
Drain: Willpower + Logic
Weavers believe that mana is simply raw chaos filtered and given structure by it's entrance into the physical world.
When the wind of choas first blows into the physical realm it is a tangled mass. But over time the strands separate into their pure form. It is these strands that the mage weaves together to create their spells.
Each of the eight threads has it's own domain.
Caran, ruby. Hot passions and burning flames mark this color. It twists emotion and passions. A mastery of fire in all it's form also marks the use of these threads.
Elu, sapphire. Knowledge of the unknowable, they are masters of divination and fate.
Baran, topaz. The solid practicality of earth. It lends itself to those artisans and enchanter's tasks.
Malen, amber. It is a primitive force that drives away reason, leading those to embrace the realm of the beasts.
Calen, jade. The magic of nature is covered in Calen. It is life itself, all that lives and breathes depend on its subtle waxing and waning force.
Silivren, diamond. The bright light banishing the impure and twisted forces of chaos. It is the most difficult thread to master.
Dae, amethyst. Of the sacred and the spirits.
Thind, obsidian. Misdirection and illusion, and the death that strikes from nowhere. Often called the assassin wind.
As far as their libraries go, they tend towards massive tomes like a hermetic. Most still resist transferring to digital mediums, preferring the purity of the written word.
There view on spirits is that they are living beings called from the ethereal planes to do the bidding of the summoner.
Elementalist
Elementalists deal with the relationship of chi to the five basic elements: air, water, earth, fire and man.
Spirit type: Manifestation
Combat: Fire
Detection: Water
Health: Man
Illusion: Air
Manipulation: Earth
Drain: Willpower + Intuition
Magic is the manipulation of chi, and the elemental, rely on its flow to manipulate a specific element.
There are five known paths. Four of them manipulate a specific physical element and the fifth manipulates the energy with in the body itself, the soul.
Air is the element of freedom, movement and deception.
Water is the element of change and adaption. It flows around obstacles and redirects forces.
Earth is the element of substance, persistent and enduring. It is the most substantial of the elements.
Fire is the element of power. It is drive and desire to achieve.
Energy or the soul of man. This art is the manipulation of the energy withing one's own body.
Lodges tend to be highly personalized, and often contain scrolls on the flow and direction on chi. Many also use meditative techniques, and kata as means to focus their magic.
Spirits are viewed as physical representatives of their element, with spirits of man being the souls of the departed ancestors.
Elementalists deal with the relationship of chi to the five basic elements: air, water, earth, fire and man.
Spirit type: Manifestation
Combat: Fire
Detection: Water
Health: Man
Illusion: Air
Manipulation: Earth
Drain: Willpower + Intuition
Magic is the manipulation of chi, and the elemental, rely on its flow to manipulate a specific element.
There are five known paths. Four of them manipulate a specific physical element and the fifth manipulates the energy with in the body itself, the soul.
Air is the element of freedom, movement and deception.
Water is the element of change and adaption. It flows around obstacles and redirects forces.
Earth is the element of substance, persistent and enduring. It is the most substantial of the elements.
Fire is the element of power. It is drive and desire to achieve.
Energy or the soul of man. This art is the manipulation of the energy withing one's own body.
Lodges tend to be highly personalized, and often contain scrolls on the flow and direction on chi. Many also use meditative techniques, and kata as means to focus their magic.
Spirits are viewed as physical representatives of their element, with spirits of man being the souls of the departed ancestors.
I wouldn't have any problem whatsoever with most stuff people come up with as a tradition. If they think it works, and they're providing a way of "this is how my character looks at magic", I'm good.
Balance? Don't think it's ever really an issue. Traditions are mostly just fluff. The crunch is all the same: pick a drain stat, pick some spirits, pick materialization/possession.
Balance? Don't think it's ever really an issue. Traditions are mostly just fluff. The crunch is all the same: pick a drain stat, pick some spirits, pick materialization/possession.
QUOTE (Mardrax @ Feb 24 2011, 05:18 AM) 
Balance? Don't think it's ever really an issue. Traditions are mostly just fluff. The crunch is all the same: pick a drain stat, pick some spirits, pick materialization/possession.
Yes, but the Fluff is often the Sauce that Flavors the Crunch...
A balanced diet has nothing to do with flavour though. 
If any were unbalanced it would be the first one, it does possess most of the most powerful spirit types available, but it lacks spirits of man so it's alright. An important element of traditions is that they explain how magic works, and that their practitioners honestly believe it. The elementalist one seems to talk about the elements(which is nothing new mind you, hermetics are all about the elements), but it doesn't seem to offer any explanation of what is magic and why you can manipulate it.
Elementalist is a class in Earthdawn, so whomever is playing that might want to whip out their old ED books and look at any correlation. Maybe he gets a message from some of the stragglers from the 4th age? Or it's just a coincidence.
Other than that, remember that most magician's tradition is a way of life, with a rich and rivaled history of creation myths and explanations for the unexplainable. It is more than an explanation of magic, it is an explanation of everything.
I'm going to tell Tony the Tiger you said that, and he is going to be one angry animated jungle cat.
Other than that, remember that most magician's tradition is a way of life, with a rich and rivaled history of creation myths and explanations for the unexplainable. It is more than an explanation of magic, it is an explanation of everything.
QUOTE (Mardrax @ Feb 24 2011, 10:09 AM)
A balanced diet has nothing to do with flavour though.
I'm going to tell Tony the Tiger you said that, and he is going to be one angry animated jungle cat.
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